At Length is a podcast featuring interview with visiting scholar and authors to Town Hall Seattle.

How far removed is Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, from the Czars of old and the Soviet Premiers of the past century?

What is the source of his grip power in Russia? What happened along the path to democracy envisioned after the end of the Soviet Union? What does the resurgence of this totalitarian state, adept in the use of modern digital tools of political warfare, tell us about status of democracy in the US?

"The Future is History" by journalist Masha Gessen is a journey thru Russia’s recent political changes. The book follows 4 young Russians who were born in 80’s. Their lives mirror the ups and downs most Russians experienced as the country opened ever so briefly and then closed around itself again.

Masha Gessen is a Russian-American writer. She is the author of 9 books including a highly regarded biography of Vladimir Putin. Her work appears regularly in the New York Review of Books, as well as Slate, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and a Carnegie Fellowship.